Some of you know about the “small fire” at our parish center last week. The good news is that the cleaning company will get our basement classrooms ready for youth catechesis tomorrow, and staff will be back in our offices a week from tonight. Meanwhile, I’m sitting in a coffeehouse about a block from campus. A strong black coffee is steaming next to me. I’ve already gotten through my list of morning calls. Email replies are next. Lectio Divina rescheduled to the church next door. I needed to order a new shipment of hosts. Later I’ll assess if the altar bread in the sacristy is better off tossed, once we get back into the sacristy next week. We had significant soot deposits within our tabernacle–amazing how smoke penetrates everywhere.

In short, I can function as a parish liturgist pretty much anywhere I can get an internet connection and I have my laptop and cell. I feel much busier than usual: calls, texts, and emails coming and going all morning. If only I had a jet pack instead of a car, the feeling would be complete.

The bad news is that we’re out of our church until Christmas. Asbestos in a soot-stained ceiling will require extensive clean-up.